Boasting a smart, sexy South London swagger, Michelle de Swarte delivers hilarious musings of growing up with a mixed race background, living as a stoner model in New York and the perils of female body hair. What is noticeable throughout de Swarte’s performance is her excellent execution of her material and her natural and almost conversational manner. This, along with her direct interaction with audience members, creates a more relaxed, friendly vibe.
Warm up act Bobby Mair hails from Canada and perhaps doesn’t quite have this relaxed and natural vibe mastered yet, acting more like an excitable kid high on sugar. However, he’s still a funny and talented comedian and his tales of the pros and cons of living in London and being adopted left the audience wiping away tears of laughter, further adding to their excitement for de Swarte’s set.
De Swarte takes the stage and doesn’t waste any time. She first talked about her background and childhood, growing up with a Jewish mother and a Jamaican father. Fully acknowledging that her aunt and uncle were present in the room, she continued with stories about her sex, drugs and general rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, going from bartender in South London to model in New York and sniffing all the cash away only to end up at Belushi’s doing a free stand up comedy show.
A lot of women in the room found themselves relating to de Swarte as she discusses the problems females face with body hair and its removal, while all the men sat awkwardly, unsure if they were allowed to laugh or not. It’s a common misconception that women just aren’t funny and if you happen to be one of the unfortunate few to believe this, allow de Swarte to change your mind for the better.
